Knitting method

ABSTRACT

A METHOD OF KNITTING A PANEL FOR A SINGLE-KNIT JERSEY GARMENT IN WHICH THE PANEL IS KNITTED ON A MACHINE HAVING TWO OPPOSED STRAIGHT NEEDLE BEDS BETWEEN WHICH TUBULAR FABRIC CAN BE PRODUCED, AT LEAST ONE MARGIN OF THE PANEL BEING KNITTED IN TUBULAR FORM CONTEMPORANEOUSLY WITH THE KNITTING OF THE MAIN PART OF THE GARMENT PANEL.

June 1, 1971 w, BETTS EIAL KNITTING METHOD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov.12, 1968 N SQVEQDEDRD @09039 J m N m UQSQGD EDGE 3 u I nuenlora MAXWILLIAM BETTS &: FRANK ROBINSON A ttorneyu June I, 1971 w -r ETALKNITTING METHOD 2 Sheets-Sheet z Filed Nov. 12, 1968 lnvenlor MAXWILLIAM BETTE 8c FRANK ROBINSON DAVIS, HOXIE, FAITHFULL 8c HAPGOOD AHome y Patented June 1, 1971 3,581,325 KNITTING METHOD Max WilliamBetts, Coventry, and Frank Robinson, Borrowash, England, assignors toCourtaulds Limited, London, England Filed Nov. 12, 1968, Ser. No.774,807 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Dec. 1, 1967,54,711/67 Int. Cl. D04b 7/04 US. Cl. 66-129 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A method of knitting a panel for a single-knit jersey garmentin which the panel is knitted on a machine having two opposed straightneedle beds between which tubular fabric can be produced, at least onemargin of the panel being knitted in tubular form contemporaneous- 1ywith the knitting of the main part of the garment panel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method ofknitting singleknit jersey garments.

When a fiat single-knit jersey fabric is produced on a knitting machineit is found that those edge portions of the fabric which lie parallelto, or at an acute angle to, the wales of the fabric (which edgeportions will be refered to hereinafter as the margins of the fabric)have a tendency to curl. To overcome this tendency it is com monpractice to stiffen the margins, for example by attaching separateedging portions to the margins of the fabric. These edging portions aresewn or otherwise secured to the margins of the knitted fabric, ineither edgeto-edge or overlapping relation, in a separate operation,which adds considerably to the cost of manufacture of the finishedgarments.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of knittingsingle-knit jersey garment panels on a knitting machine so that at leastone margin of the fabric has a substantially reduced tendency to curlcompared with such knitted fabrics which do not have stilfened margins.

The invention may be performed most simply on a flat bar knittingmachine, but is also applicable to other machines having two opposedneedle beds between which tubular fabric can be produced. British Pat.1,048,322 describes a suitable machine.

By the term flat bar knitting machine we mean a knitting machine havingat least one pair of opposed straight needle beds disposed parallel toone another, a reciprocating head with cam tracks to co-operate with thebutts of needles slidably mounted in grooves or tricks in the needlebeds for operating the needles independently of each other, and at leastone yarn carrier to supply yarn for producing knitted loops of yarn onneedles which are operated for the purpose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Broadly, the invention comprises knitting asingle-knit jersey garment panel on a machine having two opposed needlebeds and knitting at least one margin of the fabric in tubular formcontemporaneously with the knitting of the main part of the garmentpanel.

The metthod according to the invention may be performed using a singleyarn supply in which case the tubular margin is knitted entirely withthe same yarn as the main part of the panel. Alternatively, a separateyarn supply may be used for supplying part of the yarn with which thetubular margin is knitted.

lice

The main part of the garment may be knitted on needles of one bed orboth beds but both needle beds are used to form the tubular margin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of aflat bar knitting machine will now be described in greater detail, byway of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 2. is a diagrammatic view of a flat bar knitting machine comprisingthree yarn carriers and showing steps in the production of a single-knitjersey garment panel by the method according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a fiat bar knitting machine comprisingone yarn carrier and showing steps in the production of a single-knitjersey garment panel by the method according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows very schematicallya flat bar knitting machine comprising two opposed straight needle beds1, 2 disposed parallel to one another. Needles a-p are slidably mountedin grooves or tricks (not shown) in the beds, the needles in both bedsbeing spaced apart equidistantly. It will be understood that the numberof needles shown is purely diagrammatic in order to simplify thedrawing, and does not in any way relate to the number of needles whichnormally would be employed to knit a garment panel.

The numerals 3, 4 and 5 designate reciprocating yarn carriers and thenumeral 6 designates a reciprocating head comprising cams (not shown) tocooperate with butts (not shown) on the needles.

The cams of the head 6 are first set so that, when the head is traversedalong the beds 1, 2 from the position shown in full lines to theposition 6a shown in chain lines, three courses of loops are formed onthe needles as shown in diagram A, namely a first course of loops formedfrom yarn supplied by the carrier 3 on the needles p, o and n of the bed1, the needles md of the bed 2 and the needles c, b and a of the bed 1,a second course of loops formed from yarn supplied by the carrier 4 onthe needles p, 0 and n of the bed 2, and a third course of loops formedyarn supplied by the carrier 5 on the needles 0, b and a of the bed 2.During the formation of these courses of loops the yarn carriers 3, 4and 5 are moved from the full line positions shown in diagram A to thepositions 2a, 4a and 5a shown in chain lines.

The cams in the head 6 are then set so that, when the head is returnedfrom the position 6a to the position shown in full lines in diagram B,three more courses of loops are formed on the needles, namely a firstcourse formed from yarn supplied by the carrier 3 on the needles ap ofthe bed 2, a second course of loops formed from yarn supplied by thecarrier 5 on the needles a-c of the bed 1, and a third course of loopsformed from yarn supplied by the carrier 4 on the needles n-p of thebed 1. During the formation of these courses of loops the yarn carriers3, 4 and 5 are moved from the positions 3a, 4a and 5a shown in diagram Bto the positions shown in full lines.

If the two steps illustrated in diagrams A and B are repeated over andover again, a single-knit jersey fabric of any desired length can beproduced which has the appearance shown in diagram C, namely a garmentpanel comprising a main part 7 formed on the needles d-m of the bed 2and two tubular portions 8, 9 at the margins of the fabric. The tubularportion 8 is formed on the needles a-c of the bed 1 and the needles a-dof the bed 2 and the tubular portion 9 is formed on the needles n-p ofthe bed 1 and the needles m-p of the bed 2.

The main part 7 is all formed from yarn from the carrier 3, but each ofthe tubular portions 8 and 9 is formed from yarn from two yarn carriers.Thus the tubular portion 8 comprises courses of loops formed from yarntaken alternately from the carriers 3 and and the tubular portion 9comprises courses of loops formed from yarn taken alternately from thecarriers 3 and 4. The yarn supplied by all the carriers may be of thesame type, but if it is desired to obtain special effects at the marginsof the fabric, the yarns supplied by the carriers 4 and 5 may bedifferent from the yarn supplied by the carrier 3. Thus the yarn ofcarriers 4 and 5 may be of a different colour from the yarn of carrier3. Again the yarn of carriers 4 and 5 may be elasticated.

If for certain purposes it is desired to employ a single source of yarnfor knitting fabric by the method according to the invention, themachine shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2 may be used. This machine isconstructed in the same way as the machine shown in FIG. 1, except thatit only has one yarn carrier 3.

In use of the machine shown in FIG. 2, the first traverse of the head 6from the full line position to the position 6a shown in chain lines indiagram D causes the formation of a course of stitches on the needlesa-c of the bed 1, the needles d-m of the bed 2 and the needles np of thebed 1. The yarn carrier is then in the position 3a shown in chain lines.

The head 6 and the yarn carrier 3 are then moved to the positions 6b and312, respectively, shown in chain lines in diagram E to form loops onthe needles pn of the bed 2 and are then returned to the positions 6aand 3a to form loops on the needles np of the bed 1 (diagram F).

The head 6 and the yarn carrier 3 are then returned to the full linepositions shown in diagram G to form a course of loops on all theneedles p-a of the bed 2.

The head 6 and the yarn carrier 3 are then moved to the positions 6c and30, respectively, shown in chain lines in diagram H to form loops on theneedles ac of the bed 1 and are then returned to the full line positionsto form loops on the needles c-a of the bed 2 (diagram I).

If the six steps illustrated in diagrams D-I are repeated over and overagain, a single-knit jersey garment panel of any desired length can beproduced which has the same appearance as the garment panel shown indiagram C of FIG. 1. This time, however, the entire panel is knittedwith yarn from a single source.

It will be appreciated that if modified flat bar knitting machineshaving auxiliary beds are employed for carrying out the method accordingto the present invention, then widening and/or narrowing of the knittedfabric can be performed simultaneously with the knitting of tubularmargins on the fabric. In this way it would be possible, for example, toknit the shaped body panel or panels of a cardigan with two tubularknitted margins of the fabric forming those edges of the cardigan whichmeet at the front of the body of the wearer.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of knitting a single-knit jersey garment panel on a knittingmachine having two opposed needle beds between which tubular fabric canbe produced, said method comprising the steps of knitting the main partof the garment panel as single knit fabric on needles of a single bed,contemporaneously knitting at least one margin of the fabric in tubularform on needles of two opposite beds, and knitting said margin so thatfor each traverse of the single needle bed carrying the main part of thepanel by a yarn carrier feeding yarn to the needles of that bed, theneedles of each of the opposite beds carrying a part of the tubular edgeare also traversed by a yarn carrier supplying yarn to those needles.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said main part of the panel isknitted with yarn supplied from a yarn carrier and part of said tubularmargin is knitted with yarn from the same carrier during one traverse ofthe needle beds, the remaining part of the tubular margin being knittedwith yarn from the same yarn carrier during a different traverse of thebeds by the carrier.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said main part of the panel isknitted with yarn supplied from a yarn carrier and part of said tubularmargin is knitted with yarn from the same carrier during one traverse ofthe needle beds, the remaining part of the tubular margin being knittedwith yarn from a different yarn carrier during the same traverse of thebeds.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,526,420 2/1925 Hinchliff 66196X3,451,230 6/1969 Monk 6664 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,502,423 10/1967 France66-200 72,145 12/1893 Germany 66-64 WM. CARTER REYNOLDS, PrimaryExaminer U.S. Cl. X.R. 66-169, 173, 196

(SEAL), 1 i

Inve11t 1-(9) M. W. BETTS et a1 1 It is certified that error appears inthe aboveddentified patent;

and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

jflview- 9f a jflat} barf ndifsubsti- 4-tut et'hergfpr i Thep-rfdrmarice' Q -L'Of the invent ibn togf a flat-par;

col, 2, lipei 25,; elet-"wi ."1,18 afla a ranmiatic" i tt st;

